


next to me

by lazulum



Series: anything for you: a narumika collection [5]
Category: Ensemble Stars! (Video Game)
Genre: F/F, Fluff, Pining, Pre-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-14
Updated: 2017-11-14
Packaged: 2019-02-02 11:44:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,037
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12726009
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lazulum/pseuds/lazulum
Summary: While being unsure of many things, what Arashi is sure of is what she wants to do for Mika. First, they have a sleepover.





	next to me

**Author's Note:**

> and here i am, back at it again with basic narumika. this fic is mostly silent oath inspired. i hope to have a complementary second part to it eventually, so hopefully it's worth the wait.

It’s spring, with the eve of summer fast approaching, when Arashi decides to ask Mika to stay over at her house for the first time. Though she’s not one to be terribly invested in the lives of others, her classmate Mika is someone she considers a dear friend, and maybe something like this would distract her from the way some things were going lately.

“Hey, Mika, do you mind if I sit here?” She asks, arriving before class and sliding into the seat beside Mika’s. She’s already here and sitting, but it’s not like there’s much else for them to do in the time before class starts.

“Eh, only fer a minute or two, isn’t that Yu… Yukkun’s spot?”

“It’s fine… I just wanted to ask, it’s been over a year now since we became classmates, right?”

When Mika nods, she smiles, leaning closer to talk to her.

“I noticed you’ve been having a rough time lately, and I was wondering if you wanted to hang out sometime. Outside of school, I mean.”

“Huh? Nah, I’m doin’ fine, ya don’t gotta worry ‘bout me. But we can still spend time together, if ya want...”

Mika trails off in thought, but she doesn’t get very far when Arashi excitedly leans over to squeeze her in a hug, and Mika whines.

“Oh, what’s that for, you agreed to a date with me, didn’t you?”

“A d-date? What, hows’it like that, ya just said somethin’ ‘bout hangin’ out-”

“It’s a joke, a joke,” Arashi pats Mika on the shoulder, and a pout joins Mika’s blush.

“S-so what're ya thinkin’ we should do?”

  


* * *

  


As Arashi welcomes Mika into her house, empty of her family with their respective plans for the weekend, Mika hesitates, stuttering a greeting at her and clutching the bag in her grasp. Reaching for her thin wrist, Arashi drags Mika in and shuts the door. Seeing Mika take in the unfamiliar space gives her a sense of accomplishment, and she grabs the bag Mika’s holding, and leads her through the house on a small tour.

They arrive at her room last, the door closed. Arashi pauses at it for dramatic effect, and then twists the handle, swinging it open like she’s revealing some kind of showroom.

“So, what do you think?” Arashi smiles pridefully. While she can’t exactly dress up as much as she wants to in public, her room is her own domain. Being able to rely on both modelling and idol funds helped too, letting her pick out whatever she wanted, regardless of what her parents might say. Her cat, Nyanko, also enjoys it well enough, taking up space right in the middle of her relatively large canopy bed. It occupies most of the room besides her dresser and vanity. 

The first sound out of Mika’s mouth is a gasp in amazement, and Arashi holds back a chuckle when she walks towards the bed, touching the duvet as if it’s made out of cloud.

“Yer bed is so big, almost too big, but this’s really Naru-style,” Mika says, her hand getting sidetracked when Nyanko stretches out towards her, while Arashi sets the bag down by her dresser. 

“Naru-style? That’s a cute way to think of it. I was really going for a ‘heavenly comfort’ kind of image,” she muses, stroking the canopy draped with soft, see-through white, the rest of the room arranged to match.

“Fer some reason I was thinkin’ there’d be lotsa pink,” Mika comments, moving away from the cat to stand by her.

“I thought about that setup too. Anyways, we can talk about my room more later, we have supper to cook.”

Again, Arashi grabs Mika’s wrist to drag her along, an excuse to touch her rather than persuade her this time. She’s really way too thin and bony, and Arashi has no illusions that the rest of her body is any different. Though Mika acts flippant and unbothered about herself, about only being able to stomach poorly cooked food and subsisting mostly on cheap candy, especially as of late, Arashi’s no fool.

“Are you alright with… hm, stir fry for supper? We can make it together,” Arashi starts, grabbing a wok to set on the stove. “I have to admit that I’m not actually that great at cooking.”

Shaking her head, Mika opens the fridge, scanning for whatever vegetables they might add. “S’alright, that helps me y’know, with this useless stomach I got.”

“Well, it certainly doesn’t help your stomach when you don’t eat real food most of the time,” she chides, and Mika has no rebuttal to that when it’s the truth. “If you ever want help with that, let me know, okay?”

“I’m fine, but if I need ta then ya’ll be the first one I ask,” Mika answers, just as Arashi hands her a cutting board. 

She’s not completely satisfied, but she’s knows there’s only so much she can help Mika help herself. Dropping the topic, Arashi turns one of the stove burners on. As it heats up, the warmth is mirrored in her stomach from their continued bantering, and again after they finish throwing all the chopped vegetables and chicken into the wok, Mika leaning close to her back to watch her stir all the ingredients. 

As much as Arashi enjoys Mika so close to her, she has to interrupt the moment by asking her to take out the rice cooker. With Mika talking to Nyanko as she starts the rice, her typical Kansai accent filling the air and Nyanko uncaring in the middle of the kitchen floor, Arashi tries to focus on the simple task in front of her. It’s not so much a simple fondness disturbing her as it is that she’s suddenly hyperaware of not just Mika, but this situation in itself. Somehow it seems as if it’s already a treasured and nostalgic experience. To seal this moment off from the rest of the world... If there was a way to keep it in her pocket, clutched in her hands, she’d do it in a heartbeat. Of course such a thing is impossible, and she’s content to absorb the present atmosphere as much as she can.

They finish making supper with little casualties; a few dropped veggies and some rice, as well as a small piece of sacrificial chicken for Nyanko, but all fingers remain intact. Mika sets the table while Arashi serves the stir fry onto their plates, and there’s shared accomplishment in their meal as they sit down, saying, “Thanks for the food.”

Arashi can’t dissuade Mika from doing the dishes afterwards, but it’s easy enough since they have a dishwasher. By the time Mika’s done cleaning up, Arashi has a movie playing in the living room, some snacks set out on the coffee table.

“Eh, what movie’re we watchin’? I hope it’s a scary one,” Mika says, eyes bright, joining her on the couch.

“I’m not really one for horror movies, unless you’re willing to cuddle me while I hide from the scary parts,” she winks. Mika’s sputtering ensures she doesn’t have to change it from the basic action movie she chose, and they spend most of the time trying to toss candy into the other’s mouth with various degrees of success. 

They eventually get to a small sponge cake Arashi also took out, and she teases Mika, stuffing a piece straight into her mouth. The movie is all but forgotten when Mika tries to get her back in revenge, and they both have cake and cream smeared on their cheeks when the credits start rolling. Both stare at the screen in silence for a moment, then turn to each other, beginning to laugh while they lean on each other.

“That was fun, ya don’t suppose ya have any more cake lyin’ around?” Mika asks, a mischievous quirk to her smile. 

“Unfortunately, I don’t,” she answers, winding her arms around Mika’s side and propping her chin against Mika’s shoulder, and then yawning. “Hm, I could fall asleep like this.”

“Yer gonna get cake on my shirt, Naru,” Mika whines, shifting to get out of her grasp. There’s no way she’s winning this in a battle of strength, though.

“Well, if that’s how you feel then I won’t. But also…” She pauses, untangling herself and reaching for a napkin on the table to wipe her face. Mika looks over at her curiously.

“I don’t think I ever mentioned this yet, but I’m… I’m glad you call me ‘Naru’. It’s not quite near ‘Big Sis’ or anything, but now it feels like it’d be weird if you called me that.”

“I’m older than ya, too,” Mika says, and Arashi smacks her shoulder playfully.

“That’s not the point of it, it’s the essence of being a big sister, right? You already know, I wish I could give off that kind of feeling so that more people would want to call me that,” Arashi huffs, crossing her arms, and Mika leans over to see her face.

“I wouldn’t call ya it myself, but when I think about it I agree ya do have an air about ya,” she grins, and Arashi is unamused.

“I won’t be happy if you’re teasing me, Mika Kagehira,” she says sternly, but it doesn’t affect Mika at all.

“I’m not at all, promise. Yer presence is… comfortin’, if I had ta choose a word,” she explains, and Arashi can’t hold herself back from hugging Mika again. This time it’s less restrained, with Mika squished against her even more, and Mika doesn’t struggle as quick.

She lets go soon enough, playing with some strands of Mika’s hair to smooth back into place.

“You’re too kind to me, Mika… Thank you,” she says, and Mika shakes her head.

“S’nothin’. Yer the one who’s too kind, invitin’ me over for the night and treatin’ me ta dinner and snacks,” she responds, and Arashi messes up her hair again.

After cleaning up the remnants of cake and snacks, Mika escapes to the washroom first to wash her face, leaving Arashi to herself for a few moments. It’s now more than ever that she can feel the palpable beating of her heart, Mika’s voice saying too-nice words that resound in her head. 

All she can think otherwise is that she needs to let it pass before trying to lie in bed with Mika beside her, at which point she’ll definitely be unable to sleep. Mika could stay in her bed alone, while she stays in her parents' room, but what would be the point of a sleepover if they didn’t talk into the night, with the warm glow of her bedside lamp illuminating Mika’s face.

Thankfully, Mika doesn’t take much longer, and so Arashi goes in the bathroom for her own nightly routine. Mika comes back within a few minutes after changing into PJs, waiting to talk with Arashi until she’s done. Pausing after washing her face, instead Arashi pulls Mika in to join her in the routine.

“Beauty sleep doesn’t just happen with a good night’s rest, Mika,” Arashi starts, wiping some kind of special night cream on Mika’s nose. “Not that you would know, I swear you barely do anything to help keep your image together, and yet your skin is just naturally like this. I’m so jealous.”

Mika can’t help but laugh, but it doesn’t stop Arashi from completing her mission.

“Even if you think your skin looks fine, it’s still healthy and refreshing to do this, don’t you think?” She asks when they’re both done. For Arashi, this is nothing new, but there’s a glow to Mika’s face that’s different from normal.

“Sorry I dunno nothin’ about this, but I agree with ya, my face feels so smooth it’s kinda creepy.”

“Now this is what sleepovers are really for,” she grins, making her way to her room with Mika trailing behind. 

“What do you think? Do you want me to try out some makeup on you?” Arashi asks, digging out some things from her vanity while Mika flops onto the bed. Nyanko jumps off, apparently disturbed by Mika invading her space

Mika rolls over to prop up on her elbows, watching Arashi gather an assortment of lip gloss, eyeshadow, blush, and whatever else. She hums uncertainly, and Arashi pauses to look back at her.

“Eh, uh, I’m kinda tired if I’m bein’ honest,” Mika answers, scratching her cheek.

“If that’s how it is, it’s fine. Oh right, you like stuffed animals, don’t you? I have one if you want, she’s my favourite,” Arashi says, effortlessly switching topics. She walks towards her closet, and from the top shelf she grabs a cat toy that looks almost like a replica of Nyanko.

“We got this the first year we had her. It’s funny how uncanny it was, so we figured why not,” she explains, handing it over to Mika. Like it summoned her, Nyanko decides to jump back onto the bed, and Mika stretches her other hand out to let her sniff it. When Nyanko decides she has better things to do, like eat dry cat food, Mika flops onto her back again.

Turning the main light in her room off, Arashi finally joins her on the bed, it creaking under her weight. She reaches over to turn her lamp on, and Mika’s awed when the lamp shade casts stars onto the ceiling.

“It’s neat, isn’t it?” Arashi beams, and Mika nods in agreement. 

“This’s really Naru-style,” she comments, and Arashi’s thankful that it’s dark when her face flushes the tiniest bit.

“I’m glad you think so,” she says, her voice noticeably softer than before, and Mika turns over completely on her side to look at her. There’s still a good distance between them on the huge bed, but to Arashi they may as well only be a mere few inches apart.

“The stars really suit ya,” she continues. Arashi considers the fact that Mika’s seriously doing her best to kill her right now.

“In that case, I think the moon suits you, too,” Arashi says, sounding like a rebuttal even though they’re both essentially compliments.

“That means we match, don’t it?” Mika asks, and despite it all, Arashi knows she means that in all innocence. 

“It really is nice having a friend stay over,” she responds instead, and Mika blinks before going along with the abrupt subject change.

“Yeah, it’s been lotsa fun. I dunno if this really counts as a first sleepover fer me, since I’ve been livin’ at Mentor’s for a while now, or if that wouldn’t count,” Mika hums, looking down at the cat toy in her grasp.

It’s inevitable that she’d bring up Shu, no matter how subtle Arashi is in what she talked about. Though it’s not the first time it happened during their evening together, the all too familiar sinking feeling in her stomach won’t seem to go away.

When Mika first mentioned living with that person the year before, she thought it was peculiar, or an opportunity for a joke, but nothing more. The more she talked to Mika over the year, though, the heavier it felt when the topic came up. 

Their unit ‘Valkyrie’ was top of the school, famous enough even for tv, but alongside that came an almost tyrannical presence. Everything was to be perfect, but it’s not that she could entirely fault the need for that. It’s a profession after all, at the point of being part of a larger-than-life existence... but surely some of the behaviour she heard about wasn’t necessary. Even more than that, it was harsh, demeaning, and Mika didn’t utter a word in protest of it. If anything, at times she mirrored the same sentiments said of her. Her idolization was boundless, unconditional. 

A thought passed through Arashi’s mind that maybe that unconditional love meant something, or maybe she wanted to understand that feeling, to be so resolute and pure of heart. That was only an unsuccessful attempt in trying to rationalize it, however. When recent events unfolded, her own experience from the last year that she barely wanted to consider clawed its way even further into her gut, constricting her chest and making it hard to breathe.

Thinking of the thin, frail presence beside her, she knows at the same time there’s a fierce, unyielding part of her, despite how little she favours her own well-being. 

In the face of Valkyrie’s downfall, Arashi tries not to bother Mika too much in case she didn’t want the meddling of an outsider. While Mika still offers complaints about measly jobs, about the hardships and sacrifices she’s going through, as much as she whines, there’s a resilience in it. Where others might’ve given up, Mika continues on, whether resolutely, or mindlessly as a certain person would say. 

It’d be a lie if Arashi claimed she had no worries or doubts about where Mika’s effort would lead her. For the same thing to happen again without her being able to stop it… more than anything, that’s her greatest fear, her greatest failure.

This now is unconditional, not in a way that’d accept any hurt without reproach, but in a way that she builds a resolve to do whatever she can for Mika; it seeps from her heart into her veins, her thoughts, her emotions. It’s the same but wholly different, the other side of the same coin. While it’d be impossible to protect Mika from everything bad in the world, she probably wouldn’t want that anyways, but it doesn’t stop her resolution to any extent.

After they talk a bit more, and also get into a short pillow fight until Arashi succeeds as the victor, Arashi reaches over to turn off the lamp so they can finally head to sleep. Mika stirs beside her, snoring lightly before long.

There’s a small smile on Arashi’s face, grateful at least for this chance they have to spend time together. Seeing Mika’s resting face is a rare treat, and Arashi reaches to smooth back some of the unruly hair that curled its way onto Mika’s cheek. She doesn’t need any more than this, to have Mika in arm’s reach but at arm’s length, so long as she’s still close enough to save her.


End file.
